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Letter from the Editor

Happy New Year! But wait, it’s not January!

It’s not even winter yet, you say! True. However, this fall issue of JASPR is the first issue following the ASPR annual conference in August. This is the time when members of the leadership team officially begin or continue their terms. New leaders are introduced, leaders who are continuing their terms are recognized, and leaders who are completing their terms are acknowledged for their service. In the past, leadership terms began in January. Now they coincide with the annual conference. So…let me say more appropriately, “Happy ASPR New Year!”

The Journal Committee is celebrating the “ASPR New Year” by welcoming a new co-chair, Miranda Grace. Miranda will share overall writing, editing and committee responsibilities for JASPR with me, as well as co-authoring the “From the Editor” column. You may already recognize Miranda, as she began a series of articles this year in JASPR on the trendy topic of social media. She brings to JASPR a fresh perspective, energy and enthusiasm.

Our team also is taking this opportunity to introduce a new format for JASPR. Themes have been identified for this and the next three quarterly issues in an effort to provide a broad framework for authors and topics. We based the themes around the general points of developing and maintaining a successful physician recruitment and retention program:

Learning—Fall Issue

Planning—Winter Issue

Implementing—Spring Issue

Evaluating—Summer Issue

The focus for this issue, learning, seems appropriate following the annual conference, the largest learning opportunity of the year for ASPR members. For this issue, JASPR readers are being treated to a special front cover selected to highlight the annual conference. This “photo-artwork” was created by Darrin Christensen. Darrin, who works for a valued ASPR sponsor, is a long time supporter of our organization, volunteering his photography services at numerous past conferences. We thank Darrin for his time, energy, and generosity.

After learning comes planning, the spotlight for JASPR’s winter issue, and the next important step toward a successful physician recruitment and retention program. The winter issue will include articles on topics such as developing a successful needs-assessment/medical staff plan; planning ahead for site visits; preparing for that first interview call, and more.

The spring issue will highlight implementing your recruitment and retention plans. This issue will seek articles and best practices on topics to help you put in place, or improve, procedures, plans, and programs.

The summer issue of JASPR will pull it all together with articles about evaluating your physician recruitment and retention plans and programs. This crucial step in the process will include such topics as candidate visit/satisfaction surveys; interview evaluations; utilizing benchmarking data; and more.

Assigning themes to issues is a new approach for JASPR, and one we hope will motivate members to get more involved by submitting ideas, articles, white papers and/or case studies for your colleagues’ learning pleasure! JASPR depends on you, the in-house physician recruitment professional, to provide the “inside perspective” on our profession.

Meanwhile, colleagues, keep in mind what President Harry Truman once said, “The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.” I hope you enjoy this issue of JASPR, keep learning, and have an awesome fall season!